


All Those Things I Didn't Say

by nocturneequuis



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 07:43:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14765450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nocturneequuis/pseuds/nocturneequuis
Summary: Just who are they together anyway? What is their 'themness'? Rose can't quite figure it out some days and the weird words of a Dalek don't make it any easier.





	1. Chapter 1

                Rose sat in the library, feet tucked up one of the stuffed chairs, chewing on the edge of her nail. The tardis thrummed around her softly, rumbling faint vibrations through the chair, running through her arms and legs. She’d never really noticed so much before. Even when she slept it had been from sheer exhaustion. Happy exhaustion though. _Thrilled_. To be in this magical place out among the stars. She smiled at the impressive bookshelves, the old-fashioned ladders, a globe of a world she hadn’t seen… yet…

                She took the tea mug from the end table near her elbow and blew on it just out of force of habit. She was surprised to be alive still. She’d come close to dying before, but this time, she really thought she’d had it. When that door had hissed shut and that creature, that Dalek, that poor mad sad thing had almost been going to shoot her—but hadn’t. It had just wanted to understand, and understanding had been too much for it… Only it had seen something beautiful in the end.

                All too much for her to wrap her head around, honestly. It was profound. She could feel it in her gut some sort of weird understanding unfolding. Not really happening much to girls of the Estate or anywhere really, she imagined. But even more than that, she thought, feeling a stab of guilt, was the other thing buzzing through her brain. What the Dalek had said. Even now she could hear its cold electronic voice as if it was prickling over her.

                ‘What use is emotions if you cannot save the woman you love.’

                And he hadn’t denied it.

                Well there hadn’t been time, had there?  So much had been going on after all and what a thing to get hung up on.

                ‘You need to sort out your priorities,’ she muttered to herself, staring at her murky reflection in the cup. What did it know anyway? Why should she even care? Because firstly, she was still with Mickey and secondly, he was not her type. Mysterious, yes, fun, sometimes, frustrating often—with piercing blue eyes. But not her type in the least.

                  She straightened as she heard the shuffle shuffle squeak squeak of Adam wandering about in the corridor. She expected him in at any moment, grinning a bit as he passed the door then biting back a giggle as he passed the other way. He just couldn’t get the hang of this place. Well he was new to it all, she told herself; and the tardis was a maze of hallways and rooms at the best of times. It was amazing. Although maybe not if you were perpetually lost.

                   Rose stood, pushing her hair from her face, tugged the bottom of her shirt and grabbed the mug again to go meet him. She popped in the doorway, welcoming smile on her face, which was ruined as he was facing away from her, wondering back the way he had come, soles of his trainers squeaking against the floor.

                   “Going somewhere?” she said, trying not to sound as amused as she felt. He turned, looking a bit peaky, and she immediately felt bad.

                   “There you are,” he said, making an effort at a smile himself. “I’ve been looking all over.”

                   “Sorry,” she said, wiggling her fingers. “Right here. Hallo!” She gestured at the room with a tilt of her head. “Want to come in?”

                  “Yeah, sure,” he said in a detached way as if he didn’t much care one way or the other. But he seemed relieved she’d asked and maybe a little eager too. She only just prevented herself from rolling her eyes. Guys were like that. Giving him another encouraging smile, she ducked into the room, letting him come after her.

                   “It’s a library…” he said, expression deflating like a sad balloon. She laughed a little.

                   “What did you think it was?” As soon as she asked, she realized what he must’ve meant and she felt herself blush. She turned back to her chair in an effort to hide it, tucking herself back up like a pill bug as she heard him mumble.

                  “Nothing. Nowhere. Just surprised that’s all.”

                  “Mm-hmm,” she murmured against the lip of the mug, deciding she could be a little cheeky too. Adam didn’t seem to be paying attention anyway as he was too busy looking at the books, shuffling and squeaking his way down the line. She didn’t know how he managed to squeak his shoes on a carpet, but it felt like some kind of a joke- - as if the ship in some way was making fun of him. That was stupid of course because it was just a ship and she could imagine his expression if she told him that, so she kept it to herself and enjoyed it just the same.

                 And enjoyed him, too, she had to admit. A little. He was her type. Older, but not too much older. Bit of a bad boy streak in him, and smart. Oh, she loved them smart. Mum had always told her she’d regret a smart man, and maybe she would but maybe it was worth the regretting. Anyway, from what Rose had always heard, Dad had been smart too. A little too smart for his own good, Mum had started saying in later years, though Rose was sure she still missed him in her own way.

               “This place is crazy,” Adam said, and she was glad for the distraction. She watched him pull a book off the shelf, flip through it, put it back.  “I keep trying to figure it out.”

               “How do you mean?” What was there to figure out? It was a time machine that was sort of alive.

               “The trick of it. Something like mirrors or corridors actually circling back. Or holograms.”

                “Maybe it’s just bigger on the inside.” It _could_ be all those things, Adam had said, she supposed, but it didn’t sit right. The tardis didn’t feel like a trick or a trap or something designed to make people see what wasn’t. It was just a lot of…was. It existed in a way she didn’t have the words for.

                 “Not if you believe in physics,” he said with a smile, but there was something in his tone made her cheeks sting a bit and took another sip of the cooling tea, evilly wishing he would squeak extra hard in that leather chair he was starting to sit into.

                 He did and squeaked so loud that he startled right onto the floor. Rose choked on her tea and tried not to giggle, but it came out anyway. She laughed into her sleeve but stopped when he flushed and got to his feet. She hadn’t meant to embarrass him. Feeling bad, she set the mug aside and got to her feet, stretching luxuriously and then smiling at him said:

               “Wanna go explorin’?”

               “Not yet, I just got here.” 

               “Oh, alright,” she said, feeling a twinge of disappointment, but then shook it off. He was new to this kind of thing after all. Maybe he just needed to take baby steps. And at least, she told herself, he wasn’t clinging to her leg every step of the way like Mickey would’ve done. Not that she didn’t love Mickey, but new circumstances and him were not the best of friends.

              Anyway, point was, she could go exploring with Adam once he got used to it all. He began to look at the shelves again and she followed along behind, feeling a bit useless, and cast about for a topic of conversation.

              “What d’you like to read?” she said finally.

              “Nonfiction,” he said. “Mostly. History. Maths. I can even read Greek and Cyrillic.”

              “Yeah?” she said, trying to sound encouraging even if she only had some idea of what Cyrillic even was.

              “Yeah, come on, I’ll show you,” he said. “If we can find a book like that in here.”

              She was sure they could. There were books in languages she didn’t even recognize. At least not the writing system scrawled out on the spine. Still, whether they found one or not she was glad to at least be looking and doing something active.

              “It’s weird, I didn’t picture him having a library,” Adam said. Rose bristled only a little because actually she couldn’t picture it either. She knew he was intelligent and smarter than anyone she knew but this seemed an odd side to him. A kind of deep knowledge that felt like it belonged to a philosopher or weird old wise man up on a hill somewhere. It made him feel old and strange and she didn’t like to think about it somehow. That and she’d never caught him in here reading anything. Really she’d never caught him anywhere but in the control room.

                But she knew he didn’t stay in there. Sometimes, she’d come awake at night to hear him walking by. It wasn’t loud or anything. He moved quiet as a cat, moving with calm assurance from one place to another. She couldn’t even say what woke her half the time. Just that, for a moment, she was aware he was nearby and it made her feel safe and warm.

                “—Glad that I’m here,” Adam was saying, a few shelves down now, and Rose felt bad for having completely tuned him out.

                “Hm?” she said, catching up with him.

                “I’m just saying it’s kind of creepy…. forty-year-old ‘alien’ taking out someone your age…”

                This time Rose really did bristle. “Oi! It is not creepy! And what d’you mean someone my age?”

                “I mean our age. You’re young and he could be your Dad practically— I heard what that Dalek thingy said.” He raised his eyebrows a her as if he was making a point. Rose felt her face heat even more.

                “We’re just friends,” she said, trying not to snap at him even though she wanted to. “He doesn’t fancy me whatever the Dalek said—” And if he’d looked up at her that time in Cardiff and called her beautiful in a way that zinged through her veins, that just meant she’d pulled it off well—ta. “And I certainly don’t fancy him.”

                Because for one thing, she’d learned her lesson about older men – and there was older and there was _older_. Nine hundred years or not he did look kind of like some forty-year-old bloke more apt to date Mum than her. And his ears were the size of dinner plates and his shoulders broad and the smell of leather that hung around him was enough to make anyone weak kneed, so it wasn’t him necessarily.

                “Alright, alright, just making an observation,” Adam said, holding his hands up. Rose let out a breath and forgave him, annoyed as she was. She supposed it did look a bit odd to someone who didn’t understand but he would if he stayed long enough. He had to. Even if the Doctor _did_ fancy her, fancying was the least important thing. They were like the tardis, she thought. No words to explain, they just were.

                Rose shook her head and tried to relax, following along behind him and stifling a yawn behind her hand. She’d rather half heartedly watch Mickey play a game than this. Or even a footie game when he seemed to forget everything but a bunch of blokes kicking a ball around.

                “Look at this,” Adam said with a laugh. Rose blinked and smiled and tried to appear interested as she peered over Adam’s arm. He’d opened a book and was looking at something written on the inside cover, but whatever it was, she couldn’t understand it.

                “What is it?” she said, hating to ask.

                “It’s an inscription. ‘To the Doctor, may Hermes guide your ways. Homer.’” And beneath it in a kind of charcoaly black ink was a doodle of some kind of wolf or dog’s head, which she didn’t get but didn’t really expect to.

                “Oh,” Rose said. She knew Homer was some kind of Greek guy. A philosopher something or other.

                “Now you know he’s trying to be impressive, meeting Homer…” Adam shook his head with a grin. “I mean first of all, it’s such a cliché, isn’t it? Oh, I’m a time traveler let’s meet someone famous.”

                “And what would you do if _you_ were a time traveler?” the Doctor’s sudden irritated voice made Rose startle and scattered her thoughts. She half turned to see him standing in the doorway, arms folded, eyebrows arched. Rose felt as if she’d got caught at something.

                “It… it’s just a funny sort of surprise, that’s all,” Adam said with a half laugh.

                “Well if you opened your mind a little and stopped thinking you knew everything you might be surprised less and learn more,” he said, and with that moved out of the doorway. Only to pop his head back in a second later to add: “And don’t drink in the library.” Before disappearing again.

                Rose flushed, feeling stung and small; disconnected somehow like part of their ‘themness’ had broke and maybe had just been imagined. Adam let out a breath in a rush.

                “Wow…”

                “Yeah…” Rose agreed in a murmur. Suddenly the library felt stifling and she wanted to be anywhere but.   “Erm… I’m going to make more tea, I think… In the kitchen,” she added, just in case. “Want some?”

                “No thanks,” he said, putting the book away and looking out over the library. “You go on.”

                She nodded, swiping her tea cup as she went.

                The kitchen felt dead silent, despite the faint hum of the tardis. Instead of more tea she dumped what water was left and washed out the mug. Normally she hated when the Doctor went off like that and she knew that he was giving Adam a hard time. He just didn’t deal well with others, she supposed. Not that it was an excuse. Still she couldn’t get up the nerve to even be a little annoyed. Instead she felt rattled, as if something was shaking loose.

                She hadn’t imagined their themness. She knew she hadn’t and yet her mind kept tracing the idea of ‘what if’.

                And all because he’d sniped at her over a drink.

                “You’ve got to get a grip,” she told herself, setting the mug on the dish drain.  She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and then, lifting her chin, strode with purpose to the console room. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him or maybe she could just kind of glare at him for being rude—even if Adam had been a bit of an arse. Really, she should just be relieved he’d shown up then and not during the whole ‘fancying’ conversation.

                These thoughts slowed her down and by the time she got to the console room she was feeling a bit meek and apprehensive. Would he snap at her for the tea again? She’d give him an earful if he did because it’s not as if he’d ever set that rule, or really any rule. She almost hoped he did, but on the other hand she hoped he didn’t. Even if it would energize her it would make the disconnect feel stronger. Like this wasn’t… well… wasn’t her home… Which it wasn’t exactly but sometimes she liked the feeling that it was.

                Rose took a deep breath and steeled herself before walking into the room.

                She saw the Doctor right away, working at something on the console, serious face lit by the green glow. He hadn’t seemed to have noticed her. She could probably slip back out and he wouldn’t even know.  Instead she cleared her throat.

                He looked up at her and smiled.

                Not a big toothy grin, but a breathy kind of smile, the kind that pushed his ears back a little and wrinkled the corners of his eyes. She could live in a smile like that.

                “Hallo, Rose,” he said.

                “Hallo,” she replied, voice softer than she meant it. She cleared her throat and folded her arms, making her way over to him, wanting to be stern but too happy not to be just a little floaty. “What are you working on?”

                Because he’d pulled some paneling off and all she saw was a nest of wires and toggles and switches.

                “Fine tuning the quantum oscillator,” he said, wiggling something that looked like a miniature spanner at her with some curly bits on the end that winked with lights. Okay then… The word was familiar though. She’d heard something like that before… A quantum… clock?

                “Is it…something to do with time?” she hazarded. He grinned and booped her on the nose with one of the curly flashy things.

                “Got it in one. It helps with navigating the time stream.”

                “So we don’t end up in Cardiff,” she said, sticking out her tongue between her teeth.

                “Not unless we want to.” He gestured with the tiny spanner again. “Want to have a go?”

                “Me?” She stared at the tangle, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “I wouldn’t know where to start. What if I mess it up?”

                “Nah, can’t mess it up. Come on it’s not hard. I’ll even show you just what to do.”

                “Alright…” Rose took the spanner, surprised at how heavy it was compared to how she thought it would be, and watched him clear away some of the wires with his large, gentle fingers.

                “Right, just in there, see those two ports? I need you to plug those ends into the ports and give the whole thing a bit of a turn.”

                “Right, okay…” She took a moment to tie her hair back first before doing as instructed. She then gave it a gentle turn and a bit more, realizing she could feel a vibration through it, jagged at first but then growing a bit smoother as she turned. After another twist or two it started to feel a bit strained, like being pulled too hard, so she gently turned it back until it was a soft smooth hum again.

                “There. Perfect,”  he said, his voice warm and she had to bite her lower lip to keep her from grinning like an idiot. “You’re a natural.”

                “Of course!” she said, teasing and tossing her hair. He smiled.

                “Now hold onto that. I’m going to disconnect the ports because that can be a bit tricky.” He pulled something like a pin from behind his ear and, leaning over, began to slowly pry them loose. She glanced at the curve of his ears and the way his hair was cut against the back of his neck, the rest of the skin falling under the shadow of the leather jacket.

                She focused again on what he was doing. One port came free with a sizzling pop and then, after another moment, the other.

                “Sorry,” she said when he straightened, and at his questioning look added: “About the tea in the library I mean.” There really were a lot of precious books in there after all and well—

                “What?” he said, seeming surprised. “Nah. Don’t worry about it. Here I’ll take that.”

                “What do you mean, nah? Don’t worry about it?” Rose said as she let him take the spanner and move away to a box of tools sitting on the jump seat. “You seemed pretty dead set on me not—” Then a thought occurred to her and she covered her mouth with a hand. “Oh my God, did you think it was Adam’s?”

                It was hard to tell in the green light but it seemed to her his ears went red.

                “You did!” she said, laughing. “Oh my God!”

                “Well you have to admit he’s a bit careless.”

                “And you’re jealous, you big idiot,” she said, slapping him on the arm.

                “Ow!” he rubbed it. “I am not.”

                “You _are_ ,” But she was pleased now. More pleased than she could say. “You just don’t want another guy mucking around in the tardis.” She stuck her tongue out at him. That explained _so much._ And Mickey too. “Boys and their toys…”

                “The tardis is not a toy,” he said. “It’s…” He stopped when she impulsively hugged him from behind, resting her cheek against that broad back and taking a breath. Mm. Leather.

                “Happy, Rose?” he murmured. She smiled against his back.

                “Mmm. Very. Will we land soon?”

                “In a few hours.”

                “In that case…” She let him go and moved around to give him a cheeky grin. “Want some tea?”

                “You know that attitude is going to get you in trouble one day,” he said, wiggling the spanner at her.

                “No, _you_ are.” She met those blue eyes, cheeky smile warming to something more. “But I _like_ it.” And then she turned and headed toward the kitchen again, neither squeaking nor stalking; but flying.


	2. Just to Good to be True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For as 'flexible' as he is, clearly Jack Harkness can't be right about this... Can he?

                There was… a lot of man in the library. Rose stared at him, feet curled up under her, mug of tea in her hands. He was sleeping, pilot jacket open, hat pulled over his face and he streetched. Like a cat lounged between the chair and the ottoman, head listing a bit to the side. Captain Jack Harkness, she thought, testing his full name out in her mind as she sipped her tea. He wasn’t like any kind of man she knew either.

                He was unreal. Like the stereotype of an American cowboy or something. He had strong arms, that she knew, and she could see the flat plane of his stomach move against the cotton shirt as he breathed and thought that might be muscled too. He also had a nice voice, that wasn’t overly loud, one American stereotype shot down—and a great smile.  A _really_ great smile. And he was more than a little bit of a bad boy himself. And she fancied him, of course she did, you’d have to be blind not to. Or at least thought he was absolutely _smoking_ hot.

                A few years ago he’d mean a lot more trouble to her than he did now. Even, she thought a little guiltily, a few months ago. Not that she would cheat on Mickey or anything like that—because he was her boyfriend, she told herself sternly. And deserved better and all that. But the temptation would be there and making her legs weak. Right now, though she _definitely_ liked the goods, she had almost a negative interest in buying.

                Though that didn’t stop a red hot flush going through her as she noticed his eyes were open and he was watching her back. He grinned that big, dangerous smile and said:

                “Well, hello.”

                Rose squeaked and threw a chair pillow at him. It knocked his hat clean off and sent it spinning onto the floor. He laughed, another dangerous sound and sat up to fetch it.

                “Good morning to you, too.” He swept up the hat and set it on a side table. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a library like this?”

                “Drinking tea,” she said, setting the mug on her raised knees.

                “Yeah?” that grin was wider and he scooted a little closer. “And what else.”

                “Not flirting with you,” she said with a laugh. His grin faltered only a little.

                “Why not?” He handed the pillow back to her and she set it beside the chair for now.

                “Because we’re on a great adventure in a time machine. We could end up anywhere and anywhen doing anything.” She watched him carefully, still smiling. “I’d rather have a friend through all that rather then someone whose just going to try and pick me up all the time.”

                “Fair enough,” he said to her great relief, and offered his hand. “Jack Harkness at your service.”

                “Rose Tyler,” she said, shaking his hand and then laughing a little at the seriousness of it.

                “Nice to meet you Rose.”

                “You too… But just Jack Harkness? Not Captain?”

                “I love it when you call me Captain,” he said with a wink. She lifted the pillow threateningly and he laughed, holding up his hands. “Okay, okay, I get it.”

                “You’d better,” she said with a grin, setting the pillow back down. He returned the grin and took off his jacket, stretching his arms over his head and folding his hands behind it. She did enjoy the show especially when there didn’t seem to be anything behind it. It was nice.

                “Why were you sleeping in here anyway?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. “Couldn’t find your room?”

                “Nah. I know where it is. Me and the Doc just got to talking for a while and then I must have dropped off.” He shrugged.

                “Oh I see.” Rose took another sip of tea and looked away, trying to ignore the stab of jealousy that went through her. What did she care if the Doctor talked to him without her around? He probably talked to loads of people without her around. And that was fine. Sure he didn’t really talk to Adam much—that she knew of, she reminded herself—but no he really hadn’t and that he would talk to Jack in here when she’d still never really seen him in here for any length of time. At most he’d just pop his head in the door but that was rare too. Usually she had to go to see him.

                “We just talked that’s all,” Jack said, kindly, warmly. Rose blinked at him What else did he think she think that they were going to--? A thought occurred to her and she flushed madly.

                “What—I didn’t think—I mean of course not—” God, she wanted to die, to just sink in the chair and hide her face behind her hands. The thought of them— And the Doctor had said that Jack was – flexible but they couldn’t—they wouldn’t-- …would they? Would _he_?

                Not that she cared if he would or wouldn’t and it was fine and it was his life and not hers and if they wanted to – to dance, they could go ahead and dance. Not that they had, or so Jack said and she was pretty sure the Doctor didn’t dance that way anyway.

                “You seem to have a lot on your mind,” Jack said, and he was watching her, chin propped on his fist. Oh God. She wanted to sink even further. She didn’t like to think like this. To be this way. Because really, _really,_ what did it matter who the Doctor danced with so long as he enjoyed himself? But somehow it did and it was frustrating.  Partly because the thought of him enjoying himself with anyone, giving them that big ear moving smile, watching them with those kind bright blue eyes…. And that wasn’t even mentioning the—the dancing.

                But the rest… she shook her head, looking down into her tea.

                “It’s just a lot to take in, is all,” she murmured and if Jack realized she was only kind of telling the truth he didn’t show it.

                “Twenty-first century girl,” he said, teasing. She stuck her tongue out at him and shifted back into the seat. He wasn’t really wrong…

                “I mean… you know… I _know_ people like that…” Matt who worked in hardware—or did until the building blew up, and there had been rumors about Nancy Gates forever and one of Shareen’s cousins… and maybe a mate of Jimmy’s, but he’d never liked that sort of thing so if was true, who knew?

                “And there’s nothing wrong with being… flexible,” she said, to herself more than anything.

                “Not a thing,” Jack said.

                “Not that _I’m_ flexible.”

                “You’d be surprised.”

                She stared at him. That was not the answer she expected. But even more unexpected was that she was shocked by it. “Would I?” she murmured. But she thought she would because guys had always been the forefront of her mind.

                “But it’s hard to notice when you’ve got your eyes set on someone,” Jack said with a shrug and Rose swore if she didn’t stop blushing soon she would find a closet and never come out.

                “Look, I’ve already got a boyfriend, yeah? I don’t have my eyes set on anyone. And definitely—” She looked over her shoulder just to make sure he wasn’t lurking there, arms folded, watching. The doorway was empty, the door closed. Still she continued, hushed. “—definitely not the Doctor.”

                Jack’s answering grin almost had her chucking the pillow at him again.

                “Never said you did,” he said, and then got up moving away as if he knew somehow what she was about. “Buuut it’s kind of funny if you have a boyfriend but don’t have your eyes set on anyone. Just saying.”

                “I mean my eyes are already _there_ , aren’t they?” she said, wishing she’d just gone with the closet instead of continuing this route. “Because he’s my boyfriend. And we’re together. I mean we’re a little more… fle—er… we’re not glued on one another, you know… But we’re together…” She sipped her tea and muttered. “Unless there’s a game on…”

                Even as she finished she was fully aware that Jack could bring up that, for all that they were together, Mickey wasn’t exactly here. And if he did bring that up she’d tell him boldly that that didn’t matter because this was more important than boyfriends or anywhere else. She was doing something extraordinary. Almost magical. And she wouldn’t let Mickey slow her down—especially when she could be back—whenever. For the most part, she thought, remembering Mum’s frantic hug when she’d shown up out of the blue a year late. Oops. But so long as that didn’t happen again….

                “Well,” Jack said. Here it came. “How about I toss this in my room,” He wiggled the hat at her. “And you show me around the place?”

                Or, it didn’t come at all. Rose smiled, relieved and happy, the tension melting away.

                “Mm! Sure!” she said, getting to her feet and setting the mug to the side. “The tardis is really a bit mad, you know,” Rose said as they went out into the corridor. “I still haven’t seen all of it!  And wait until I show you the bath.”

                “Oh yeah?” Jack said, falling into easy pace beside her. “Big tub? The works?”

                “The works and then some,” she said with a laugh. They turned down one hall and then another.

                “You know I was in a ship kind of like this once,” Jack said. “A bit smaller on the inside than it was on the outside, but it had the hottest Arkelian fur trader, and when I mean _hot_ I mean—”

                “There you are, Rose,” said the Doctor from behind them. She turned and saw him at the intersection, hands in his jacket pockets and grinning broadly. “I’ve been looking for you. Got something to show you.”

                “Yeah?”  Ah, she wanted to know what it was! But she couldn’t just renege her offer for showing Jack around. “I didn’t know we landed.”

                “We haven’t. Not yet.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “This is better.”

                “Better?” How could it be better? She wanted to know! She had to. His eyes were positively _dancing_ and she loved it when he danced.

                “Have fun, kids,” Jack said and she shot him a grateful smile before striding over to the Doctor and taking his hand.

                “So what is it?” she said as he walked her back the way they had come.

                “A surprise.”  

                Ohh a surprise! What could it be? Behind them, Jack began whistling: ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.’

                “There’s still a pillow with your name on it, buster!” she called over her shoulder and a warm laugh answered her. Jerk. But she couldn’t help but smile.

                “What was that all about?” the Doctor said, sounding amused.

                “Nothing,” Rose said, swinging their joined hands between them lightly and leaning against him a bit just because she could.

                “Mmhm,” he said, not sounding like he believed her. “You know I think you like him.”

                “You know I think you like him too.” She smiled up him, resting her chin on his arm. Mm. Leather. He grinned. Stupid barmy grin. It wasn’t her fault he knew how to smile like that. It just wasn’t fair.

                “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t share a sundae with him but I might give him my phone number.”

                “I don’t believe it,” she said with a laugh, checking him lightly with her shoulder. “I can’t see you giving _anyone_ your phone number.” And she really couldn’t.

                “You don’t think so?”

                “No, I don’t. Not unless they were Cleopatra or the Madonna or something.”

                “Nah, not my type. Anyway, you’re right, I wouldn’t. Or not often anyway.”

                “He’ll be heartbroken,” Rose said with a dramatic sigh. “Poor lad. And poor me if I ever need to call you.” As soon as she said it she hoped he knew she was teasing and wasn’t really asking for—

                “I could hear you from anywhere in the universe,” he said softly. Which—was just cheating, by the way and he should have half a dozen pillows thrown at him for making her insides melt and her heart flutter in ways it shouldn’t and making her want to hold onto him and never let go.

                “Cheeky,” she muttered finally just to say _something_. And then, murmuring: “Me, too.”

                He squeezed her hand and she returned it, leaning against him fully now. Even if it took an eternity to get to this surprise—right here, right now, she didn’t mind at all.

 


End file.
